“Incredibly strong strategy. We were all very impressed.”
AYCA ACUN | Senior Director, Brand Marketing, Nike North America
Repositioning Nike’s Air Max Day
Client: Nike North America
Strategic Service: Cultural Insight & Creative Experience Strategy
Team: Sarah Cunningham (Client Lead), Resh Sidhu (Creative Lead), Ophelia Stimpson (Strategy Lead), all AKQA.
Opportunity
Goal: Evolve perception of Air Max Day
Market: North America
Audience: Gen Z Women
Nike came to AKQA to rethink the way it approached its infamous ‘Air Max Day’.
On 26th March each year, Nike drops rare and highly coveted pairs of sneakers through buzz-creating executions. But Air Max Day had become synonymous with the more negative elements sneaker culture – the act of spending thousands on sneakers by rich white guys as a sign of wealth and status.
Nike recognised the brand-damaging effects of this association, and came to AKQA to understand how they might appeal to a younger, more diverse audience – Gen Z, and in particular, Gen Z women.
Insight
The reality was clear: Air Max Day felt stale, male, pale – and if it didn’t change, doomed to fail.
We conducted extensive primary and secondary research into the values of Gen Z women and found that they didn’t hold any of the values that typified sneaker culture – exclusivity, elitism, expense and inaccessibility. Instead what they valued was community, collaboration, creativity and sustainability.
Our research also found that the origins of sneaker culture were closely related to contemporary Gen Z values. When it first emerged in the 80s, sneaker culture was all about community – swapping and sharing shoes, and using sneaker style as a basis for new activities and ideas, and exploring identity through music, sport, politics and beyond.
Execution
We provided Nike with a very simple creative platform: “Transform ‘Got ‘Em’ to ‘We’ve Got This’ by reimagining the collaborative community that started sneaker culture in the first place.” This was accompanied with clear, actionable ways to bring the creative platform to life.
The creative strategy was deemed ‘incredibly strong’ by Nike, and informed their approach to revamping the Air Max Day experience in North America.
From showing how to authentically raise the profile of young women from working class backgrounds, to leaning into Gen Z values around sustainability that position thrifting and up-cycling as desirable activities, our POV helped Nike understand the values-based approach they needed to take to truly appeal to Gen Z.
